From garlic to burning sage to wearing tin-foil hats and rings of salt there are a lot of items people claim can protect you from evil spirits. Do any of these items actually work or do you have your own theory on protecting yourself against harmful entities?
Dave: I don't know if I can answer this question with any level of expertise. As we elected from our inception, PPS will not subject its members to possible demonic cases.
Our game plan was to direct the client to contact their clergy, or to arrange for a clergy visit to address their needs. As such, I haven't educated myself fully along these lines.
My first suggestion would be to not invite these entities into your home to begin with. Dabbling in occult type rituals, Ouija Boards, amateur EVP recording efforts, etc., can open a door to something the person didn't desire. I don't believe entities; either good or evil perform drive-by hauntings. The conditions need to be favorable for the entity to take hold. This could be: an abusive home, a home filled with consistent anger, or one completely devoid of God's love.
As far as my personal choice for preventing evil from entering my home is to fill it to the rim with love. Love for my family, for my Lord and for all my blessings.
There just isn't any room for evil.
All paranormal researchers are involved with the unknown and are subject to the dangers of such. This is what frightens me when I see the proliferation of "Ghost Hunter" wannabees treading into a world they haven't educated themselves about or taken the proper precautions. Herein lies the dangers of all the "reality shows" Rex mentioned yesterday. This isn't "The Bachelor", or "Last Comic Standing". There are real dangers associated with the ethereal realm and to place both those chosen by a casting agent, or inspire your audience to place themselves in these situations is both very dangerous and irresponsible.
I implore anyone interested in investigating the paranormal to do so through the guidance of a serious-minded, experienced group. Do your research first and be certain the team you choose to solicit is a viable, established and focused group. Learn as much as possible on your own about both paranormal research and hauntings before soliciting a group. If you are just looking for thrills, or a good scare, wait for Halloween and go to a haunted house instead.
Rex: Most of the items people claim provide protection have some religious significance to it whether Christian, Pagan, Native American, Voodoo or Wiccan. The danger is that if there actually is an evil entity are you using the correct talisman? I recall one of the only episodes I watched of Paranormal State where a demonic spirit was attacking a family in a trailer park. The investigative group brought in clergy and demanded the spirit leave by quoting biblical verse, they mentioned that they wouldn't say the name of the demon but flashed the name several times across the screen in jumbled up letters. Using a bit of logic and research I was able to find out the name of the demon was from Judaism and I'm not sure but I think bringing in a Catholic Priest to cast out a Jewish demon would probably do more harm than good.
I'm not a superstitious person, I don't personally believe that any of the items most use as personal protection talismans will actually do anything. I do believe in the power of positive thinking and that sometimes all a person needs is some reassurance that everything is going to be ok. If a crystal or bottle of Holy water is what it takes to make you feel better than that is fine but be aware of what you are getting into. I know the dangers involved in this field and I approach it cautiously and accept responsibility for whatever happens to me. I also know that nobody on our team would do anything to endanger the rest of the group or our clients. As Dave said on the demonology post "We at PPS, since our inception have a firm policy of not becoming involved with any investigation where the possibility of a demonic event is occurring...we do not have enough knowledge or experience to effectively deal with something of this magnitude."
As far as garlic or foil hats:
1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.
3 Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.
4 Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.
Eat as is (I love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta. (from www.elise.com)
Dave: I don't know if I can answer this question with any level of expertise. As we elected from our inception, PPS will not subject its members to possible demonic cases.
Our game plan was to direct the client to contact their clergy, or to arrange for a clergy visit to address their needs. As such, I haven't educated myself fully along these lines.
My first suggestion would be to not invite these entities into your home to begin with. Dabbling in occult type rituals, Ouija Boards, amateur EVP recording efforts, etc., can open a door to something the person didn't desire. I don't believe entities; either good or evil perform drive-by hauntings. The conditions need to be favorable for the entity to take hold. This could be: an abusive home, a home filled with consistent anger, or one completely devoid of God's love.
As far as my personal choice for preventing evil from entering my home is to fill it to the rim with love. Love for my family, for my Lord and for all my blessings.
There just isn't any room for evil.
All paranormal researchers are involved with the unknown and are subject to the dangers of such. This is what frightens me when I see the proliferation of "Ghost Hunter" wannabees treading into a world they haven't educated themselves about or taken the proper precautions. Herein lies the dangers of all the "reality shows" Rex mentioned yesterday. This isn't "The Bachelor", or "Last Comic Standing". There are real dangers associated with the ethereal realm and to place both those chosen by a casting agent, or inspire your audience to place themselves in these situations is both very dangerous and irresponsible.
I implore anyone interested in investigating the paranormal to do so through the guidance of a serious-minded, experienced group. Do your research first and be certain the team you choose to solicit is a viable, established and focused group. Learn as much as possible on your own about both paranormal research and hauntings before soliciting a group. If you are just looking for thrills, or a good scare, wait for Halloween and go to a haunted house instead.
Rex: Most of the items people claim provide protection have some religious significance to it whether Christian, Pagan, Native American, Voodoo or Wiccan. The danger is that if there actually is an evil entity are you using the correct talisman? I recall one of the only episodes I watched of Paranormal State where a demonic spirit was attacking a family in a trailer park. The investigative group brought in clergy and demanded the spirit leave by quoting biblical verse, they mentioned that they wouldn't say the name of the demon but flashed the name several times across the screen in jumbled up letters. Using a bit of logic and research I was able to find out the name of the demon was from Judaism and I'm not sure but I think bringing in a Catholic Priest to cast out a Jewish demon would probably do more harm than good.
I'm not a superstitious person, I don't personally believe that any of the items most use as personal protection talismans will actually do anything. I do believe in the power of positive thinking and that sometimes all a person needs is some reassurance that everything is going to be ok. If a crystal or bottle of Holy water is what it takes to make you feel better than that is fine but be aware of what you are getting into. I know the dangers involved in this field and I approach it cautiously and accept responsibility for whatever happens to me. I also know that nobody on our team would do anything to endanger the rest of the group or our clients. As Dave said on the demonology post "We at PPS, since our inception have a firm policy of not becoming involved with any investigation where the possibility of a demonic event is occurring...we do not have enough knowledge or experience to effectively deal with something of this magnitude."
As far as garlic or foil hats:
1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.
3 Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.
4 Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.
Eat as is (I love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta. (from www.elise.com)
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